Yai

Special education school with integrated therapies

Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialist

Residential & Direct SupportConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-time

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, or a closely related Human Services discipline and at least six months of experience working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or supporting people with complex social-emotional, mental health, or behavior-support needs in a group or individual setting; or formal training, including college coursework in psychology, sociology, human behavior, mental health, special education, or intellectual and developmental disabilities, and at least two years of such experience; or at least four years of experience in a direct-care role in a YAI program in good standing.
Working knowledge of behavioral and psychiatric conditions, including how they interact with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the ability to gather, document, and accurately communicate related information to staff, clinical teams, or external providers.
Written and oral communication skills, including the ability to objectively document services, summarize progress for billing and tracking, and convey information about people supported to different audiences and external providers or circles of support.
Ability and willingness to lead, direct, and teach others technical skills or knowledge on the job and through formal group or individual training.
Foundational certifications required for the service setting: Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention–Revised, CPR issued by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association, and YAI-issued Approved Medication Administration Personnel certification for residential assignments or Day Services Model Mentorship Training for day assignments. Current YAI employees changing settings must obtain the applicable certification and any assignment-specific certifications within three months; newly hired employees must obtain and maintain required certifications within six months.
Must maintain foundational and any required program-specific certifications, or meet a satisfactory equivalent combination of education, experience, or training; newly hired employees must be at least 18 years old.
Ability to meet the physical demands of the position, including frequent movement and assisting with lifting or moving people using mechanical lifts, other equipment, or staff assistance; occasional lifting or moving of up to 25 pounds; and capacity to implement emergency interventions under a Behavior Support Plan.
Ability and willingness to assist with activities of daily living and other supports, including regular exposure to and handling of bodily fluids in accordance with documented plans.
Clinical skills to assess and analyze information, draw appropriate conclusions, communicate clinical rationales, compile and compare data, and interpret information.
Ability to remain calm, act assertively, and exercise professional judgment in stressful situations, including challenging behaviors and fast-paced work.
Proficiency with computers and electronic systems, including email and Workday or related systems.
Ability to work full time, including at least one regularly scheduled weekend day, and to work beyond scheduled hours or report as scheduled on holidays, during inclement weather, or during emergencies when needed to maintain program coverage.
Ability to travel to regional trainings or meetings at designated YAI locations and occasionally to locations in the New York City metropolitan area.
For assignments involving transportation of people supported, must hold or obtain and maintain a valid driver's license and Van certification, as required by position, location, or program.
For assignments in the BIS Department: three years of experience in the intellectual and developmental disabilities field, including at least one year as an Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialist in a YAI program in good standing; ability to travel regularly to multiple programs in the assigned region and work varying schedules or shifts; and ability to build productive working relationships and work effectively with multiple teams.

Responsibilities

Perform Direct Support Professional duties and Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialist duties to supervise, protect, and care for people in the program, support their strengths and interests, uphold their rights, and facilitate activities that build social connections in the community.
Lead the identification, facilitation, and scheduling of community inclusion activities based on feedback and needs of people supported; coordinate resources, secure funds, and ensure activities are completed and documented.
Support appropriate, therapeutically documented supervision by communicating and documenting changes in supervision levels; run shift meetings as needed, assign duties, complete shift sheets, and recommend steps to ensure staff can maintain prescribed supervision levels.
Use person-specific clinical knowledge, including signs and symptoms of medical, mental health, or other conditions, to support people, identify and escalate concerns, and inform staff activities, training, and specialized education.
Stay current on the issues, diagnoses, needs, and supervision levels of people supported in the assigned program under the supervision of the Behavior Intervention Specialist.
Work with the Behavior Intervention Specialist to identify habilitative, behavioral, and psychiatric needs and ensure clinical programming and interventions are implemented consistently in accordance with individualized plans.
Guide program staff, model counseling skills and interactions, and promote standards of care through person-centered philosophy and tools.
Implement Behavior Support Plans using an understanding of behavior as communication and person-centered practices to support positive interactions and prevent escalation.
Train direct care staff individually, on the floor, or in groups using the EMOE training system; observe staff, provide feedback, explain clinical rationales, and ensure appropriate data-collection techniques.
Serve as lead trainer for weekend staff and support new staff in developing and demonstrating OPWDD Core Competencies.
Participate in treatment-plan development, including individualized habilitative plans, and collaborate with the Behavior Intervention Specialist to write services, goals, outcomes, and supports based on assessments and individual learning capabilities.
Assist the Behavior Intervention Specialist with collecting data for formal and informal behavioral and habilitative assessments through observations and information gathered from direct support staff, circles of support, or other sources.
Monitor collection of data used to assess progress toward habilitative and behavioral goals; ensure staff have current data sheets, review documentation, retrain staff, follow up as needed, and assist with designing data-collection systems for habilitative goals.
Complete and maintain required paperwork and documentation, compile and summarize data, write monthly progress reports, complete person-centered materials, review psychiatric and therapy incidentals, and assist staff with documentation and data compilation as needed.
Attend and actively participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, consult with the team to support quality care, provide feedback and ideas, and communicate updates concerning data management, assessments, or programming requirements.
Participate in life-plan, other individual meetings, and clinical team meetings; provide information, contribute to agendas, and complete resulting tasks as directed by leadership.
Lead evening and weekend shifts, or other assigned shifts, by monitoring daily program operations and supporting staff when the Program Supervisor, Assistant Supervisor, or Behavior Intervention Specialist is absent.
Monitor program operations, staff performance, and the well-being of people supported through regular interactions and observations; work with leadership to address concerns, recommend solutions, and escalate issues as appropriate.
Complete and maintain required training and certifications, apply those skills, and teach others as appropriate.
Comply with applicable federal, state, local, and regulatory requirements, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
For certain assignments, operate a YAI motor vehicle to transport people to and from programs, residences, community locations, or other destinations, with appropriate credentials.
Perform other duties as assigned.
For experienced Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialists assigned to the BIS Department, provide coverage across multiple programs as directed by caseload needs; integrate into program teams and train new staff on behavioral and clinical systems; and communicate behavioral and clinical information to interdisciplinary teams and families as directed while tracking and completing follow-ups across programs.

Desired Qualifications

Active pursuit of a master's degree in a clinical or treatment field of psychology, social work, school psychology, or applied psychology.
A bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, or a closely related Human Services discipline.
Two or more years of experience working in the intellectual and developmental disabilities field.

If you are a current YAI employee, please click this link to apply through your Workday account.

About the Position

We are hiring an Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialist (ABIS) in Nassau County!

In addition to carrying out all direct care functions of a Direct Support Professional (DSP) the ABIS provides clinical support relating to habilitative, behavioral and psychiatric needs of persons supported by the team under the direction and supervision of the Behavior Intervention Specialist (BIS) through educating other direct care staff and program leadership on habilitative and Behavior Support Plans, supporting clinical assessments and interventions, ensuring consistent and effective data collection and providing direct feedback.

Provides leadership to the team on shift, directing and assisting direct care staff in the absence of a Program Supervisor and/or Assistant Supervisor.

YAI's Mission

Ready to join our 4,000+ employees in a career at YAI?

Working at YAI means effecting real change in people's lives. It means going home at the end of the day knowing you have helped someone accomplish a goal. If you want a career supporting others, creatively finding solutions to life's challenges, and building a more inclusive community, YAI is the place for you!

Join us in our mission to create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live, love, work, and learn in their communities. Learn more at yai.org/careers.

Program

Residential Services

Location

Nassau County (Long Island)

Schedule (Full time)

Sunday through Thursday evenings, or:
Tuesday through Saturday evenings
Some flexibility may be required

Key/Essential Functions & Responsibilities

All Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialists (ABIS) perform the following tasks:

Performs all duties of a Direct Support Professional (DSP 1 – 3) as indicated in job descriptions, in addition to ABIS duties on a regular basis and/or as requested to ensure the overall supervision, protection and care of individuals in program, assisting in maximizing their strengths, interests and abilities while upholding their personal rights and facilitating activities that provide social capital and connections to the community.
Leads the identification, facilitation and scheduling of community inclusion activities for assigned program based on feedback from and needs of persons supported, coordinating resources, securing necessary funds and ensuring that activities are completed and appropriately documented.
Supports provision of appropriate, therapeutically documented levels of supervision to ensure and protect the health, safety and well-being of individuals at all times by ensuring updates and changes to levels of supervision for persons we support are regularly communicated to all staff and appropriately documented; may run shift meetings, assigning duties, completing shift sheet and making recommendations to ensure staff are qualified and able to maintain current prescribed levels of supervision.
Understands and uses specialized clinical knowledge of person-specific needs and signs or symptoms of ailments/syndromes including mental health/medical conditions to provide effective supports to individuals, identify and escalate concerns to leadership and inform activities, training or specialized education or augmented trainings for staff.
Stays up to date with current issues, diagnoses, needs and levels of supervision for the persons supported in assigned program under the supervision of BIS.
Works with BIS to identify habilitative, behavioral and psychiatric needs of the persons supported and to ensure all programming and activities relating to clinical interventions are implemented consistently, in accordance with individualized plans.
Provides guidance to program staff, setting the appropriate tone and ensuring that the standards of care are followed by modeling excellent counseling skills and interactions with persons supported and through use of person-centered philosophy and tools.
Implements Behavior Support Plans, demonstrating understanding of behavior as communication and employing person-centered thinking to support positive interactions and prevent further escalation.
Trains direct care staff individually, on the floor and/or in groups using the EMOE training system to support effective implementation of habilitative and behavioral programming by program staff through regular observations, direct feedback, communicating clinical rationales and ensuring appropriate data collection techniques.
Serves as lead trainer for weekend staff and supports new staff in developing and demonstrating the OPWDD Core Competencies.
Participates in the development of treatment plans including individualized habilitative plans, collaborating with BIS to write services, goals, outcomes and/or supports in accordance with the agency philosophy, as determined by assessments of individual needs and learning capabilities.
Assists BIS with gathering and collecting data required to conduct formal and informal behavioral and habilitative assessments (written questionnaires, standardized tests, rating scales, baseline data, etc.) by conducting observations and/or soliciting information from other direct support staff, circles of support or other sources, as applicable.
Monitors collection of data used to assess progress toward habilitative and behavioral goals, ensuring that new data sheets are accessible to staff at the beginning of each month and that staff are consistently and accurately collecting and documenting data in accordance with established systems by reviewing documentation, retraining staff and following up as needed; may assist with design of data collection systems for habilitative goals.
Completes and maintains all required paperwork and documentation for persons supported in appropriate format(s) and file(s) in accordance with applicable requirements including compiling, totaling and summarizing data, writing monthlies describing overall progress and completing person centered materials; reviews and ensures all psychiatric/therapy anecdotals are complete and appropriate and assists other program staff with documentation or compiling information or data, as needed or directed.
Attends and actively participates in team meetings as a member of the interdisciplinary team (IDT), consulting with IDT to ensure streamlined and top-quality care and providing feedback or ideas to improve supports and/or program operations and updates or changes relating to data management, assessments or programming requirements.
Regularly participates in life plan and other meetings for persons supported and in regional assistant or other clinical team meetings providing information, contributing to agendas and completing tasks or activities resulting from meetings as directed by leadership team (training, assessments, reviews, etc.).
Serves as lead on weekend and evening shifts or when otherwise requested, monitoring day-to-day program operations and providing support to staff in the absence of Program Supervisor, Assistant Supervisor and/or BIS.
Maintains an awareness of program operations, staff performance and overall condition/wellness of persons supported through regular interactions and observations and by working together with the leadership team to identify and directly address, resolve, recommend actions or solutions and/or appropriately escalating concerns, signs and symptoms, problems or other occurrences.
Completes and maintains all necessary trainings and certifications, including specialized trainings based on program and to ensure compliance with YAI policies or other applicable rules or regulations and clinical trainings as recommended by BIS, effectively applying skills or teaching others.
Complies with all Federal, State, Local and other relevant regulatory agency requirements, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
For certain assignments, may be required to operate YAI motor vehicle to transport individuals to and/or from programs, residences, community or other locations on a daily (or other regular) basis with appropriate credentials.
Performs all other duties, as assigned

Experienced Assistant BIS may be selected for assignment reporting into the BIS Department, under day-to-day supervision of Program Supervisor and BIS Supervisor performing the following tasks, in addition to the above:

Provides support and coverage by performing ABIS tasks for multiple programs across assigned region, with assignments of varying length, frequency and schedule as determined by caseload needs and as directed by BIS Coordinator/Supervisor.
Integrates into assigned program teams, demonstrating flexibility in accommodating the needs of each specific program and provides training on behavioral/clinical system to new staff, as needed.
Obtains and effectively communicates behavioral/clinical information to interdisciplinary teams and families as directed by the BIS and ensures tracking and completion of follow-ups needed for the people we support across multiple programs.

Minimum Qualification Requirements including education, experience, licensure/certification, etc. and essential physical capabilities (e.g. lifting, assisting lifting, standing, etc.)

Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work or closely related Human Services discipline and at least six (6) months of experience working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and/or supporting adults or children with complex social-emotional, mental health and/or behavior support needs in a group or individual setting (home program, day treatment center, school, ABA environment, etc.) or
Formal training, including college coursework in psychology, sociology, human behavior, mental health, special education and/or I/DD and at least two (2) years of experience as described above; or
At least four (4) years of experience in a direct care role (e.g. DSP) in a YAI program in good standing; and
Working knowledge of behavioral/psychiatric conditions, including the interplay between I/DD and other conditions and ability to effectively gather, document and accurately communicate related information to staff, clinical team and/or external providers; and
Exceptional written and oral communication skills including the ability to professionally, coherently and objectively document services provided and summarize progress for billing and tracking purposes and to effectively convey information regarding individuals supported across various levels and with external providers or circles of support; and
Ability and willingness to lead, direct and teach others technical skills and/or knowledge, both on-the-job and through formal training in group or individual settings; and
Must hold foundational certifications for current service setting: Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention – Revised (SCIP-R), CPR (issued by American Red Cross or American Heart Association) and YAI-issued Approved Medication Administration Personnel (AMAP) certification for residential assignments or Day Services Model Mentorship Training for day assignments.
- Current YAI employees changing settings must obtain AMAP (for new residential assignment) or Day Services Model Mentorship Training (for new day assignment) and any additional certifications as required by program assignment and persons supported within three (3) months of appointment
- Newly hired employees must obtain (and maintain) required YAI certifications based on setting and program within six (6) months of appointment; and
Must maintain foundational certifications (as described above) and any required program-specific certifications; or
Satisfactory equivalent combination of education, experience and/or training; however, all newly hired employees must be at least 18 years old.
Ability to meet essential physical demands of position including frequent walking, sitting, standing, bending, twisting, stooping, kneeling, crouching, pushing, pulling and reaching with hands and arms; use hands to handle, finger or feel objects, tools or controls; assisting with lifting/moving individuals of any weight with assistance of mechanical lifts or other equipment and/or pushing individuals in wheelchairs; lifting and/or moving up to 25 pounds on occasion; having the physical capacity to work with and implement emergency interventions as per the person’s Behavior Support Plan if/as needed, including lifting/moving individuals of any weight with or without assistance of equipment and/or other staff.
Ability and willingness to assist with a variety of supports and ADLs, including regular exposure to and handling of various bodily fluids with limited direction and in accordance with documented plans.
Strong clinical skills including the ability to assess and analyze information or draw appropriate conclusions, communicate clinical rationales, effectively compile, compare and aggregate data/information; and interpret information.
Ability to remain calm, act assertively and display professional competence and good judgment in stressful situations, including with challenging individuals or behaviors and work in a high energy, fast-paced environment.
Proficiency with computers and electronic systems including email, utilizing Workday and/or related systems (DA, etc.) to complete tasks.
Ability to work on a full-time basis, including at least one regularly scheduled weekend day and to work beyond regularly scheduled hours/shift and/or to report to work as scheduled on holidays, in inclement weather or during other emergencies to maintain minimum coverage requirements of program, unless otherwise authorized.
Ability to travel to regional trainings or meetings at designated YAI locations within assigned region and to locations within NYC metro area on occasion.
For assignments that require transporting persons supported by vehicle, must hold or obtain and maintain valid Driver’s License and Van certification (based on position/location/program).

ABIS assigned to BIS Department must also meet the following additional requirements

Three (3) years of experience working within I/DD field, including at least one (1) year as an Assistant BIS in a YAI program in good standing; and
Ability to regularly travel to several programs within assigned region and work varying schedules/shifts, as needed; and
Ability to quickly develop productive working relationships, address team challenges and work effectively with various teams.

Preferred Qualification Requirements (desired requirements beyond MQRs above)

Active pursuit of a Master’s degree in clinical or treatment field of psychology, social work, school psychology or applied psychology
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work or closely related Human Services discipline
Two (2) or more years of experience working within the field of I/DD

Compensation

$23.60 hourly

Benefits

DailyPay available - Work today, get paid today!
Tuition reimbursement
Medical and dental insurance - with options for family and more extensive medical plans, as well as vision (for Full time positions)
Paid vacation, holiday, and sick time (depending on time type)
403(b) retirement with employer matching contributions
Life insurance and long-term disability
Discounts on travel, entertainment, wireless services, shopping, and more. Check out our benefits page to learn more!

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam or disabled veteran. YAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To ensure fairness, safeguard transparency, and promote an equitable workforce environment, YAI Network prohibits the practice of nepotism in the workforce and hiring process.

About the Company

Yai

Special education school with integrated therapies

Manhattan Star Academy is a private, non-profit day school serving ages 3–21 with developmental needs, offering preschool through upper school under the YAI Network. It combines academics with comprehensive therapies (occupational, physical, speech-language, counseling) delivered during the school day, using a developmentally based, Montessori-inspired approach in small classes. The campus uses sensory-friendly facilities and technology such as smart boards and iPads to support learning and track progress, and it runs a transition program with vocational training and internships. Its differentiators are the integrated therapy model, a specialized environment for neuro-developmental disabilities, and a clear path from early education to post-secondary readiness with individualized support.

Company size: 51-200
Company stage: Seed
Total funding: $330K
Headquarters: New York City, New York
Founded: 2023

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